Coat foundation



%rreegs- N SACCHETTI COAT FOUNDATION Flled May 9, 1946 8 4 9 an in Patented Aug. 10, 1948 UNETED STATES PATENT GFFIQE GOAT FOUNDATION Nicholas Sacchetti, Upper Darby, Pa.

Application May 9, 1946, Serial No. 658,581

'7 Claims.

This application constitutes a continuation in part of my abandoned application, Serial No. 664,346, filed April 23, 1946.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of garments, such as mens and womens suit coats, top coats, overcoats, etc., which include a composite foundation structure embodying superposed plies of hair cloth, buckram, burlap, felt, canvas and other stiffening, filling, padding and inner lining materials underlying the outer fabric of the coat.

In the ordinary coat, as manufactured today, the foundation structure includes front and back right and left side units suitably secured together along adjacent suture edges of said units extending from the neck opening to the armhole openings along the tops of the shoulder portions of the foundation structure, and from the armhole openings to the lower edge of said structure along the right and left sides of said structure. The shoulder and breast portions of the right and left front units of the foundation structure each normally include a stiffening ply, a filling or padding ply, and an inner lining ply of fabric. Similar pieces are provided in the right and left back units of the foundation structure and are joined together by a suture extending down the center of the back of the foundation structure; and to the front units of said structure by the sutures which extend from the neck recess to the armhole recesses of the foundation structure, along the top of the shoulder portions of the foundation structure.

A single V--shaped cut is usually made in the foundation pieces of the front units thereof, and which extend downwardly from the shoulder sutures into the upper regions of the breast portions of the front units of the foundation structure. A corresponding wedge-shaped gusset is sewn in each of the V-shaped cuts, to afford fullness in the foundation structure and to relieve restriction and binding of the garment in the armholes thereof, for the purpose of avoiding tightness of fit in the shoulder areas of the garment.

However, with the single V-shaped gusset type of foundation structure, the freedom of motion expected to be achieved in the shoulder area of the garment is substantially nil, or at best only partly effective in practice, inasmuch as the foundation materials at opposite sides of each gusset tend to pull the fabric taut across the gussets when the coat is being worn, thereby resulting in undesirable tightening of the garment across the shoulders of the garment.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a foundation structure which will allow fullness across the shoulders to allow for free and easy motion of the shoulders and arms and thereby avoid any tight-fitting effect which would cause discomfort to the wearer of the coat.

Another object of the present invention is to so construct the coat as to provide for the aforesaid free movement of the shoulders and arms therein and to constantly produce and maintain a loosening effect in the upper region of the coat when it is being worn, thereby avoiding any tendency of the coat to tighten across the shoulders and in the armholes such as would cause discomfiture,

A further object of the present invention is to provide a foundation structure and a method of manufacture thereof which will afford easy application of the principles of the present invention to an ordinary coat at relatively small expense or trouble.

Further objects will become apparent from the following description, reference being had to the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a coat embodying the principles of the present invention, as being worn, with the outer material of the coat being cut away to illustrate the improved coat foundation structure therebeneath;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary View of one area of the coat foundation to which the present invention is applied;

Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the foundationelements illustrated in Fig. 2;

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of details of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, and showing a modification of the invention; and

Fig. 7 is a cross-section taken on the line l-'| of Fi 6.

As illustrated in the drawing, A represents any suitable outer fabric ordinarily used in the making of suits, coats, and other garments of wearing apparel. B represents the inside foundation structure, as a whole, which is adapted to lie under the outer garment material A.

Each of the front units of the foundation structure B includes, in the present illustrated embodiment of the invention, an inner elongated rectangular piece of stiffening material 1, such as hair cloth; a coarse outer lining 2 of light canvas or unbleached muslin, etc., normally cut and shaped to provide a concave recess 3 constituting a portion of the collar or neck opening, and a recess. 4' constituting a portion of the armhole and to provideia marginal suture edget extending from one to the other of said recesses, in a substantially straight line therebetween, and an intermediate sheet 6 of heavier canvas or other suitable filling material. If desired, a further padding in the form of a suitable sheet of felt may be employed, preferably on the inside of the stifiening sheet I.

The stiffening sheet I, the lining sheet 2 and the filling sheet 6 are respectively provided with marginal suture edges a, 5b and 50 which coincide with or form the aforesaid suture edge 5 of the structure B, said edges being substantially parallel, each to each other.

The stiffening sheet I, as shown in Fig. 3, is provided with a second marginal edge I lying substantially parallel to the edge 50. thereof, and this second edge 'I is provided with a slit or cut 8 disposed at a steep angle to the edge I, and a small V-shaped nick 9 spaced a predetermined distance along the edge I from the intersection of said edge with the angular slit 8. The fabric along and adjacent the edge I of the piece I is then overlapped to the extent of the distance between the slit 8 and nick 9, as shown in Fig. 4, whereby the edge 1 becomes foreshortened with respect to the edge 5a, as shown in Fig. 5.

Further describing the stiffening sheet I, as showing an alternative construction thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the second edge Ia of the stiffening sheet Ia may be provided with a plurality of slits or cuts 80. disposed at steep angles to said edge 1a and may have a plurality of small V-shaped nicks 9a spaced at predetermined distances along the edge la from the intersection of said edge with the angular slits 8a. The fabric along and adjacent the edge Ia of the said piece Ia may then be overlapped to the extent of the distances between the slits 8a and the nicks 9a.

The foreshortening of the edge Ia, by the multiple overlapping above described, tends to change the contour of the piece Ia from its normal rectangular form into an arcuate form and to cause said piece to bulge from its normal planar state in the same manner as described in regard to the sheet I. However, the use of a plurality of slits 8a and nicks 9a, as means for accomplishing this foreshortening is preferably adapted when a greater shoulder bulge is desired, thereby allowing for an even greater space for shoulder movement therein.

The piece I is formed of a plurality of relatively stiff horse hairs It lying substantially parallel to each other and bound together in this relationship by flaccid cross threads II interwoven with the horse hair or some equivalent stifi resilient filaments, of a synthetic nature, for example.

Due to the springy character of the stifi resilient filaments ID, ID, the piece I retains or automatically returns to its non-planar state and affords a springy somewhat outwardly rounded under support for the elements 6 and 2 of the foundation structure and the outer fabric A of the coat in the shoulder and breast regions of the coat.

The pieces 2 and 6 are provided with slits I2 and I3 respectively which extend inwardly from and substantially at right angles to the shoulder suture edges 5b and 50 respectively, intermediate the opposite ends of said edges.

The right angle slits I2 and I3 terminate at points I2a and I3a, respectively, spaced inwardly from the edges 5b and 50 respectively of the pieces 2 and 6.

Extending from the terminal pointsv I2a and ,I3a, substantially parallel to the suture edges 5b,

I3b--I3c for reception of boot-shaped gusset pieces I4 and I5 respectively, one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 5.

Each of the boot-shaped gussets I4 and I5 comprises a leg portion I6 having a top edge I! adapted to substantially align with the suture edge of the piece into which the boot-shaped gusset is inserted. Each leg portion I6 has side edges I8, I8 which converge from the ends of the edge I] throughout the length of the leg I6.

The leg portion I 6 terminates in a tapering foot portion I9 having a toe-like end 20 which, when the gusset is inserted in the L-shaped slit E2 or I3 of either piece 2 or 6, fits into the terminal point IN or I3d, as the case may be. The converging edges of the boot insert are then stitched, as indicated at 2 I, Fig. 2, to the adjacent edges of the spread slit in which the gusset is placed.

The spreading of the slits I2 and I3 and the stitching of the gussets I4 and I5 therein, elongates the suture edges 5b and 5c of the foundation elements 2 and 6 respectively and tends to round the upper breast and shoulder regions of these pieces from their normal planes, for the purpose of causing these pieces to fit snugly over the rolmcled out overlapped regions of the stiffening pieces I, I to give a correspondingly rounded-out support for the outer fabric A in the shoulder and upper breast regions of the coat.

. This rounded-out support affords the additional space in the shoulder and upper breast regions of the coat to provide the fullness required to prevent any uncomfortable binding in the coat over the shoulders and in the armholes thereof, when the coat is being worn.

As seen in Fig. 2, the boot-shaped gussets I4 and I5 in the foundation pieces 2 and 6 respectively are laterally oifset with respect to each other to stagger the seams between the gussets and the edges of the slits I2 and I3 for the purpose of preventing these seams from directly overlying each other which would otherwise create an undesirable bulkiness in the coat foundation at these places.

I claim:

1. A garment foundation unit having a neck recess, an armhole recess, and a suture edge extending from one to the other of said recesses; said unit comprising a plurality of superposed plies of textile materials including a stiffening ply and each having a marginal edge corresponding to said suture edge, said stiffening ply having a second edge substantially parallelling said marginal edge thereof and having an overlap formed therein along said second edge to effect bulging of said stillening ply from a normally planar state into a non-planar state underlying the remaining plies in said structure, and a boot-shaped gusset inserted in each of at least some of said remaining plies with a leg portion disposed perpendicularly to said marginal edge thereof and a foot portion extending from said leg portion toward said armhole recess at a diverging angle with respect to said suture edge.

2. A garment foundation unit having a neck recess, an armhole recess, and a suture edge extending from one to the other of said recesses; said unit comprising a plurality of superposed plies of textile materials including a stiffening ply, a lining ply, and a filler ply, each having a marginal edge corresponding to said suture edge, and a boot-shaped gusset inserted in each of said lining and filler plies with a leg portion disposed perpendicularly to said suture edge and a foot portion extending from said leg portion toward said armhole recess at a diverging angle with respect to said suture edge.

3. A garment foundation unit having a neck recess, an armhole recess, and a suture edge extending from one to the other of said recesses; said unit comprising a plurality of superposed plies of textile materials including a stiffening iply, a lining ply, and a filler ply, each having a marginal edge corresponding to said suture edge, and a boot-shaped gusset inserted in each of said lining and filler plies with a leg portion disposed perpendicularly to said suture edge and a foot portion extending from said leg portion toward said armhole recess at a diverging angle with re spect to said suture edge, said gussets being offset laterally in said lining and filler plies respectively to stagger the junctures of said gussets with the plies in which said gussets are respectively inserted.

4. A garment foundation unit having a neck recess, an armhole recess, and a suture edge extending from one to the other of said recesses; said unit comprising a plurality of superposed plies of textile materials including a stiffening ply, a lining :ply, and a filler ply, and each having a marginal edge corresponding to said suture edge, said stiffening ply having a second edge substantially parallelling said marginal edge thereof and having an overlap formed therein along said second edge to effect bulging of said stiffening ply from a normally planar state into a non-planar state underlying the remaining plies in said structure, and a boot-shaped gusset inserted in each of said lining and filler plies with a leg portion disposed perpendicularly to said suture edge and a foot portion extending from said leg portion toward said armhole recess at a diverging angle with respect to said suture edge.

5. A garment foundation unit having a neck recess, an armhole recess, and a suture edge extending from one to the other of said recesses; said unit comprising a plurality of superposed plies of textile materials including a stiffening ply, a lining ply, and a filler ply and each having a marginal edge corresponding to said suture edge, said stiffening ply having a second edge subof and having an overlap formed therein along said second edge to effect bulging of said stiffening ply from a normally planar state into a nonplanar state underlying the remaining plies in said structure, and a boot-shaped gusset inserted in each of said lining and filler plies with a leg portion disposed perpendicularly to said suture edge and a foot portion extending from said leg portion toward said armhole recess at a diverging angle with respect to said suture edge, said gussets being offset laterally in said lining and filler plies respectively to stagger the junctures of said gussets with the plies in which said gussets are respectively inserted.

6. A garment foundation unit having a neck recess, an armhole recess, and a suture edge extending from one to the other of said recesses; said unit comprising aplurality of superposed plies of textile materials including a stiffening ply each having a marginal edge corresponding to said suture edge, said stiffening ply comprising a plurality of substantially parallel relatively stiff filaments extending in the general direction of said suture edge and lying intermediate said recesses, said stiffening ply having a slit extending inwardly from one edge thereof with the areas stantially parallelling said marginal edge thereadjacent opposite sides of said slit arranged and secured together in overlapping relation to each other, and a gusset inserted in each of at least some of the remaining plies in superposed relation to the overlap in said stifiening ply.

'7. A garment foundation unit having a neck recess, an armhole recess, and a suture edge extending from one to the other of said recesses,

said unit comprising a plurality of superposed plies of textile materials, including a stiffening ply, each having a marginal edge corresponding to said suture edge, said stiffening ply comprising a plurality of substantially parallel relatively stiff filaments extending in the general direction of said suture edge and lying intermediate said recesses, said stifiening ply having a plurality of slits extending inwardly from one edge thereof with the areas adjacent opposite sides of said slits arranged and secured together in overlapping relation to each other, and a gusset inserted in each of at least some of the re-- maining plies in superposed relation to the overlap in said stiffening plies.

NICHOLAS SACCHETTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,199,745 Weber Sept. 26, 1916 1,120,612 Greenstein Dec. 8, 1914 1,476,302 Schwartz Dec. 4, 1923 

